As wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman is released by the Pakistani army, misinformation seems to follow him home. A video currently viral on social media is being shared with claims suggesting that the Indian pilot was dancing with the soldiers of the Pakistan army.
#abinadan ਦੇਖੋ ਕਿਦਾ ਨੱਚ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ ਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨੀ ਆਰਮੀ ਨਾਲ .. #dailypostpunjabi #dailypehredar #abpnews #ajjtak #zeenews ਇਹ ਵਿਡਿਓ ਨੀ ਦਖਾਣੀ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਟੀਵੀ ਚੇਨਲ ਨੇ
Posted by Bhagwant Mann Fan Club on Friday, 1 March 2019
Apart from individual users, Facebook pages have also circulated the video.
#Abhinandan dancing with Pakistan Army in Pakistan |#WelcomeHomeAbhinandan |
#Abhinandan dancing with Pakistan Army in Pakistan |#WelcomeHomeAbhinandan |
Posted by Amazing Videos on Friday, 1 March 2019
Several Twitter users have shared the clip with the identical claim.
#AbhinandanDiwas
Our Wing Commander Abhinandan dancing with Pak army pic.twitter.com/JP9QUcNxr8— F M Shaikh (@FMShaikh20) March 1, 2019
What is the truth?
As the viral videos were of poor quality, the faces of the soldiers could not be made out. Alt News looked up YouTube videos with the keywords – “Pakistan soldiers paf dancing” – and stumbled upon a video posted on February 23, 2019, days before the wing commander was captured.
The video uploaded by Zee Creations was described as, “Amazing moments of Pakistan Air Force airbase officer celebrate victory moments with staff on Chita Chola Song. #chitachola #dance #army . chita chola se dey darzi,chita chola see darzi full song,chita chola mujra.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vGqehsObhQ
As this video was of much better quality, the soldiers’ faces could be clearly identified. None of the officers resembled Indian air force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
Moreover, the officers’ uniforms adorned the Pakistani national flag.
Since the announcement of wing commander Abhinandan’s release, misinformation on social media has been circulating at his expense. Alt News had earlier debunked false claims about his mother and wife.
